Manchester United defender under scrutiny from German press following press conference remarks: Reports

Manchester United defender Matthijs de Ligt is currently under scrutiny from the press in Germany, following his remarks about the Bundesliga and the Premier League. The 25-year-old centre-back joined the Red Devils from Bayern Munich this summer in a move reportedly worth €45 million.

After playing in the Netherlands' 5-2 win over Bosnia and Herzegovina, De Ligt compared playing in Germany to playing in England. He said (via Fabrizio Romano):

“I’m happy with my move to Manchester United. Also because I stay in the picture… the Premier League has more viewers, the Bundesliga lesser.”

This has not sat well with the German media, who have responded to De Ligt's comments. BILD said (via United In Focus):

“Interesting: In the stadium audience ranking, Bayern is ahead of the “Red Devils”. The German record champions recorded an average attendance of 75,000 per game in the 2023/24 season. Man United had around 73,500 per game. This was the result of a SPOBIS analysis from the summer of 2024.”

SPORT1 criticized his performance against Bosnia and Herzegovina, writing:

"Rival Liverpool fans are now using De Ligt’s mistake against Bosnia to further mock them. They called the defender the 'Dutch Maguire'. The Englishman has repeatedly been noticed for defensive weaknesses in recent years."

FCBINSIDE compared De Ligt to Leon Goretzka, who chose to stay at Bayern Munich this summer:

“Unlike Leon Goretzka, who was also on Bayern’s sales list in the summer but decided against leaving, De Ligt seized the first opportunity and moved to Manchester United in the English Premier League.”

Matthijs de Ligt could feature in the Netherlands' upcoming game against Germany on September 10, and will have to be prepared for the German press' scrutiny.

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Manchester United defender De Ligt returns to the Netherlands starting lineup after move to Old Trafford

Since his move to Manchester United, De Ligt has featured in three Premier League games, coming on as a substitute in the first two. It hasn't been the best start, with United losing two games out of three, including a 3-0 loss against rivals Liverpool at Old Trafford.

De Ligt's move to England has also coincided with some positive news on the international front, as he was called up to the Netherlands' Nations League squad.

However, despite playing the full match against Bosnia, his performance was disappointing and he was partly to blame for the second goal his team conceded. This is still an improvement from having sat on the bench throughout Euro 2024, but he will be hoping to do much better in their next game.